Plenary Themes
There will be six broad themes, one for each of the plenary sessions. These are:
- The legacy of probation
- What can we learn by looking at the origins of probation; what elements of continuity and change can be discerned, key themes of voluntarism, care and control, welfare, the place of probation in sentencing and how they have approached working with other agencies will be key reflections.
- Developing professionalism 1900s – 1960s
- What drove these early days of probation - was it philanthropic endeavour (advise, assist and befriend) or controlling the unruly and undeserving? and what role did voluntary organisations play; how would welfare of prisoners develop in this period? And what was emerging as the preferred training for practice?
- Radicalising and diversifying 1960s – 1980s
- This was an era of experimentation which cut to the heart of what community provision with offenders would be like from socialist practice to the non-treatment paradigm; Scottish Probation disappeared and a distinct social work approach to offender work emerged there; the first possibilities for a law enforcement approach copying Canadian experiences also began to flourish. Where has that experimentation gone?
- Assessing community provision since 1990
- This wave of change has produced a resurgence of What Works initiatives, interests in desistance theory and an overarching concern with risk assessment and management. Is probation now very different and does this heighten the role of the voluntary and community sector. Whither community engagement?
- International dimensions
- Though all of the above sessions will have international dimensions this session is exclusively an opportunity to learn from services abroad and how they have approached the key dimensions of values, knowledge and skills to deliver community provision for offenders and shape their own probation responses.
- Looking to the future
- This year is significant not just for looking back but to look forward and try and envision the shape of practice to come. This session will explore what the future might look like from a range of perspectives drawing on the current practices in the field.
Century of Probation 2007 Conference Secretariat, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, Room 5503 Surrey Building, Sheffield S1 1WB
Tel: 0044 114 225 5342/5338 Fax: 0044 114 225 5337
E-Mail: conference21@shu.ac.uk
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Tel: 0044 114 225 5342/5338 Fax: 0044 114 225 5337
E-Mail: conference21@shu.ac.uk
Website designed by MSS Designs - Cheap affordable web design